10 best anti-ageing day creams to tighten, brighten and lift

Offering No7’s most scientifically advanced formula to date, this jar features a new super-peptide that harnesses the skin’s natural repair process. Put simply, it targets skin damage and premature skin ageing by tricking the skin into thinking it’s been damaged, boosting the renewal of key proteins such as collagen.

Teaming this world-first cosmetic tech with the likes of skin-protecting antioxidants, vitamin C and SPF 40, as well as hyaluronic acid and niacinamide, to boost hydration, and you’ve got a powerhouse of an anti-ageing cream.

It’s a thick, rich formula that absorbs instantly, and the SPF doesn’t leave behind a white cast. Within days, it left our skin feeling soft and supple. For targeting loss of firmness, lines, wrinkles skin tone and texture, you can expect to see results after a few weeks.

The Inkey List’s latest anti-ageing cream ticks all the boxes of another buzz-worthy product from the accessible beauty brand. Boasting next-generation bio-active ceramides as the leading ingredient, it works hard to strengthen the skin barrier through multiple layers.

For instant gratification, the beautifully rich and creamy texture is also infused with gransil blur, which delivers a soft-focus effect - ‘blurring’ fine lines and imperfections. After a month’s use, our complexion felt smoother, well-nourished and firmer to the touch. This formula is suitable and effective on all skin types, and it can be used as a night cream, too.

Packed with powerhouse skincare active vitamin C, this day cream protects skin from ageing UV rays, pollution, and daily aggressors, as well as correcting uneven skin tones. It’s light in texture but super hydrating, thanks to its infusion of ceramides and niacinamide, leaving even dry complexions feeling instantly nourished and dewy looking.

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Our tester has returned to this pot of radiance multiple times, due to its long-lasting smoothing and plumping abilities – you can expect to see a difference within days. For its glow-inducing magic, stick with it and watch the compliments flood in.

If you didn’t think you could use a retinol product in the day, think again. You can with this next-level formula, just don’t skip the SPF. Retinol is just one form of a bigger family of retinoids that increases skin cell turnover. In this pump jar, you’ll find it’s been combined with HPR (hydroxypinacolone retinoate), a next-generation retinoid that’s 10 times more potent, yet much gentler on the skin.

This leaves you with a supercharged formula that’s further enriched with skin-plumping peptides, skin-strengthening ceramides, hydrating hyaluronic acid and bisabolol known to soothe and minimise irritation. The cream is like a lightweight gel-meets-cream, which we found our skin drinks up in seconds, leaving behind a veil of moisture. We were surprised to see real results after just seven days, with skin feeling smoother and looking brighter. Still, give it longer to work its plumping and firming magic.

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It’s not easy to reach iconic beauty status with so many day creams constantly being launched, all promising to be the next big thing. However, Elemis’s pro-collagen marine cream still manages it, with a huge list of loyal fans, including our tester, who keeps going back to this skincare hero.

Its fast-absorbing, lightweight, gel-cream silky texture keeps the complexion well hydrated. A blend of marine and plant actives, including brown algae padina pavonica, microalgae chlorella and plant-derived ginkgo biloba, offer antioxidant skin protection while supporting collagen production. The trio’s effects on the skin show up within a few weeks of use, with skin looking and feeling smoother and firmer. Plus, it’s also available with SPF 30; as an ultra-rich formula, and a new rose-infused version.

From celebrities to skincare enthusiasts singing its praises, you have probably seen the hype around this luxe moisturiser, and we are here to add to its acclaim. It’s the science behind the brand that makes it such a standout, as Professor Augustinus Bader spent 30 years studying the skin’s healing process, which led to the making of the brand’s cellular renewal complex, TFC8, a patented blend of amino acids, high-grade vitamins and peptides which are naturally found in the body and stimulate the skin’s regeneration process.

You’ll find TFC8 teamed with omega-rich botanicals, fatty acids and anti-oxidants in this formula clinically proven to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. Give it a month of consistent use, and you can expect to see your complexion looking brighter, smoother and super supple. Choose this rich cream with a thicker consistency for dry to normal skin types, or you may prefer the standard cream (£145, Spacenk.com). We’ve only marked it down slightly, as its hefty price tag is hard to ignore.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: prevention is key when it comes to warding off premature signs of ageing. One of the best things you can do for your complexion is to shield it from damaging UV rays every day. Look for broad-spectrum SPF formulas, like this first-rate daily moisturiser, it provides protection from both the UVB burning rays and the ageing UVA rays.

It’s powered by polypeptides (to boost collagen production and repair photodamage that’s already occurred) teamed with a cocktail of skin-hydrating ingredients, including glycerin, hyaluronic acid and squalane. We rate it for how lightweight it is for such a high SPF, how fast it absorbs and how well make-up sits on top of this formula. It leaves a dewiness on the skin that we can’t get enough of, too.

Formulated to target the early signs of ageing, Clarins’s new day cream is touted as being able to address dehydrated, fatigued skin, fine lines and uneven skin tone, which can be brought on by the physical and mental stress of juggling busy lives.

The formula is rich in niacinamide, and the multi-tasking super active has many benefits, including strengthening your skin’s moisture barrier, boosting collagen production, smoothing lines and reducing the look of pores. It’s coupled with antioxidant plant extracts that protect the skin from signs of ageing occurring.

The day cream launched earlier this year, and we fell for it immediately. Its instant appeal comes from the creamy, luxurious texture that’s fragranced with lily of the valley, bergamot and cedarwood for a relaxing de-stressing scent. Within days of use, our skin felt well-nourished, but after a few weeks of use our skin looked smoother and our dull skin got its glow back.

Turn to this high street favourite if your skin is on the dry side or you’ve hit menopause. With oestrogen production diminishing when we get to this stage in life, the changes to your body’s hormones leave collagen and oil production slowing down, too. Your skin can’t retain moisture as well, leaving skin feeling dry, uncomfortable and sometimes itchy, so you need an intense dose of daily hydration, such as this offering, to get your glow back.

Transforming a dull, dry complexion is quick, too, as the formula is packed with replenishing ingredients, including collagen peptides that penetrate deep into the skin to strengthen and give skin back its bounce, and niacinamide for skin smoothing and brightening. After just two weeks, this light and silky cream left our skin feeling healthily hydrated. With ongoing continuous use, our skin felt strengthened, looked firmer and had a real radiance to it.

This is a luxury day cream that’s worth every penny for its advanced science-led formulation. Developed by a renowned plastic surgeon who was inspired by Nobel Prize-winning science used to heal burn victims, this uses a skin-identical peptide that mimics your skin’s renewal process. It comes complete with a cocktail of antioxidants, vitamins C and E and SPF 30 for skin protection, nourishment and rejuvenation.

Our tester has been through a few jars of this fast-acting formula, as it instantly makes skin feel soft and supple and offers zero chalkiness. You quickly see dull skin perk up after a few weeks of use but, for impressive smoothing and plumping results, use for longer to see results.

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